The proposals are to be set out by shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham today (5 October 2026), with the party arguing that reducing regulatory costs would support economic growth and ease pressure on businesses.
Environment Agency
Under the proposals, the EA and Natural England would both be abolished as separate arm’s-length bodies, with their functions transferred to Defra.
The party said bringing the functions of the two bodies into Defra would create a more streamlined regulatory system.
The EA currently has a broad remit covering areas including environmental permitting, waste regulation, water quality and flood and coastal risk management.
The proposals form part of a wider package aimed at reducing what the Conservatives describe as unnecessary regulation and speeding up development.
Griffith has described the programme as a “bonfire” of red tape, with other proposals including scrapping the Future Homes Standard and replacing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy with a single developer levy.
The Conservatives have said the wider measures could reduce the cost of a new-build home by up to £50,000.
pEPR
The party has also proposed scrapping the pEPR scheme.
pEPR requires producers to contribute towards the costs of collecting, sorting, recycling and disposing of the packaging they place on the market.
The Conservatives argue that removing the scheme would take a £1.5 billion “burden” away from businesses, with the party suggesting this could ultimately help reduce the cost of the weekly shop.
The proposal would reverse a major part of the UK’s packaging waste reforms, which were introduced to shift the cost of managing household packaging waste from taxpayers and local authorities towards packaging producers.
The first year of the scheme raised £1.41 billion in waste disposal fees from obligated packaging producers across the UK, with £1.34 billion paid to local authorities.
The party’s proposal comes as pEPR moves into its second operational year, with the scheme administrator PackUK continuing to make payments to councils for the management of household packaging waste.
The proposals are not currently changes to the regulatory framework, as the Conservatives are in opposition. They would require a future Conservative government to introduce the necessary legislation to abolish the organisations and repeal the packaging EPR system.
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